Allen. Ray Allen, Ray
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Fordham University Masthead Logo DigitalResearch@Fordham Oral Histories Bronx African American History Project 6-29-2004 Allen. Ray Allen, Ray. Bronx African American History Project Fordham University Follow this and additional works at: https://fordham.bepress.com/baahp_oralhist Part of the African American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Allen, Ray. June 29th 2004. Interview with the Bronx African American History Project. BAAHP Digital Archives at Fordham. This Interview is brought to you for free and open access by the Bronx African American History Project at DigitalResearch@Fordham. It has been accepted for inclusion in Oral Histories by an authorized administrator of DigitalResearch@Fordham. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Interviewee: Ray Allen Interviewer: Dr. Mark D. Naison Date: June 29, 2004 Mark Naison (MN): Hello. This is the 69th interview of the Bronx African American History Project. We’re here with Ray Allen who is an actor, singer, and organizer of theater and education programs in the Bronx and this is the first of what will probably be several interviews and what I want to do today is focus on Mr. Allen’s childhood and school experiences. Mr. Allen, when did your family move to the Bronx? Ray Allen (RA): I came to the Bronx in - - that was December 9, 1968. I came here to 1225 Boston Rd which is by 168th St. in the Bronx. It was my sister and I, my second sister and I; we came here after my fathers’ death. My father died that year in March. - - I was born on the island of Curacao, which is in the Netherlands Antillies, the ABC islands. My Mom is from the island of Anguilla, and I spent a few years in Anguilla prior to coming here. Matter of fact, it was in Anguilla where my father had the heart attack and passed away on my mothers birthday, March 3, ‘68. Well, I was - - we were in Anguilla for a few years and I was in school there. When my father passed away my aunt Mayetai and my uncles John Richardson and Victor Richardson, they said well look we have to do something for their sister, my mother, Evelyn. So they wanted us to come here to get a change of scenery you know, after my dad’s passing and my mom said well, there was a lot of other business that she had to tie up down there, so my older sister Bennett and my mom stayed back for a couple of years and - - My second sister and I - - I’m the last child, only boy- - came to join my aunt and my uncle’s here with their families. At this time my aunt was still living at 1225 Boston Rd. in apartment 22, my uncle in apartment 23. My reason for saying this is because there’s a history in this building. My great aunt and uncle were the first African Americans to have an apartment at 1225 Boston Rd. when it was all Jewish. MN: Now, do you remember what year they moved in? 2 Interviewee: Ray Allen Interviewer: Dr. Mark D. Naison Date: June 29, 2004 RA: They moved in around the turn of the century, it was early 1900’s - - it was around 1920’s, early 1920’s when they moved in there. Because my mom, she’s 83 years old now and from the time she was a little girl she remembered 1225 Boston Rd. apartment 19 where they lived. Now when my aunt came here, Mayetai, my uncle John, they all came to 1225 Boston Rd. It’s a five story building, and it’s interesting that all my family have lived on the top floor and the fourth floor, so it’s four and five - - Never lived on second - - First, second, or third floor. MN: Is that building still there? RA: Oh yes very much - - In tact. [Laughs] It was renovated - - Renovated with people still living in the building; they went from apartment to apartment MN: Are there any members of your family still living in the building? RA: My Aunt Mayetai - - still in apartment 22. She is the manager of the building. Because see what happened is back in the 70’s - - this was actually around 1978, 79 right through you know, that whole burnout situation. And the landlords stopped giving services to the building and the tenants - - we formed a tenants association and we took over the building. I was the treasurer of the building - - until ’94 where I got married while I was living there with - - I was the only male on the tenants association board and they wanted me as president, but I was so busy with the arts and everything else I said no, I don’t want it anymore, a position. And they went down vice president, secretary and everything, and then they came to treasurer and they said “No. We want you as treasurer. There’s no if’s or and’s about it. We want you as treasurer.” So I said OK, so I ran all the financial things in the building and in spite of the fact that I was not the president, as the male, I had to take on a major job. We had drugs in the building. I had to confront these guys, OK? It was to the point where which they threatened me and they threatened my family’s life. My wife was going to school, she was going to school for a masters 3 Interviewee: Ray Allen Interviewer: Dr. Mark D. Naison Date: June 29, 2004 degree at Columbia University and coming home very late at night. So my family said look, you really need, for your wife’s safety, you need to get out. So, I bought a house a block away from my old school - James Monroe High School, which was 1517 East 172nd St., one block away from James Monroe. And I lived there for 15 years. Unfortunately, my wife and I we have separated, so I said well the best thing to do is to move back. So I moved back to Boston Rd after 15, 15 years later moved back to Boston Rd. in apartment - - by the way I had apartment 20 on the fourth floor -- moved back 15 years later in apartment 19 [Laughter] Now Mark, [Laughs] MN: And you’re still in the same building? RA: Yes! MN: That’s - - RA: Apartment 19! MN: That’s remarkable. RA: Where it all began. MN: Yes, that’s - - Wow. RA: You know, and I feel as though this is a revelation because I am the researcher of the family, in terms of history where my aunt Elise in Brooklyn, she is very much a researcher; she’s been doing things like that for many years but in terms of the younger generation I am the researcher - - to come back and get, to have apartment 19 vacant at the time, I think is phenomenon. MN: It is, it certainly is. Now this is your - - they’re from Anguilla? RA: Anguilla MN: Anguilla. RA: It’s A – N - G - U - I - L - L –A. 4 Interviewee: Ray Allen Interviewer: Dr. Mark D. Naison Date: June 29, 2004 MN: Yes. RA: A little paradise in the West Indies. It’s very close to St. Martin - - And it’s a throw away from the Virgin Islands. MN: Right. Now was their an Anguillan Association that the members of the family were involved with when they were in New York? RA: Yes. My Uncle John Richardson, who now lives in Concourse Village, he was the president of the Anguillan Association for many years. It then became defunct back in the late 80’s - - No, I’m sorry, the early 90’s and they have restarted, revamped the Anguilla organization which is now headed by Seymour Hodge. He’s in, he lives in Long Island. But they have every year, we have Anguilla dinner dance. We have it for many years at Eastchester Manor, Eastwood Manor, sorry - - MN: And that’s in the Bronx? RA: In the Bronx. The last two years it’s been over in Long Island. But the Anguilla Association as a matter of fact, the Prime Minister of Anguilla he for the last four years he’s been coming up for the dinner dance and I - - up to, this is in May, the end of May - the last Saturday in May they have the dinner dance and I have the pleasure of sitting with him and having very long talk about Anguilla and doing some things down there this year. So, we met at the dinner dance and then the day after, at the Barbeque in Long Island and spoke about a lot of things. MN: Yes. Now was the Anguillan Association when you came to New York, in Harlem or was it in the Bronx? Where was its headquarters? RA: The headquarters in Harlem. They had a brownstone in Harlem - - They had a brownstone in Harlem and - - but majority of the Anguillan’s that were very involved in the association came 5 Interviewee: Ray Allen Interviewer: Dr. Mark D. Naison Date: June 29, 2004 from the Bronx and that’s the reason why we for many years have had the dinner dance at Eastwood Manor. MN: Yes. Were many of the Anguillans located in Morrisania? RA: Morrisania area, that’s correct. Morrisania area is a very heavy area where which you find a lot of Anguillans, people from St. Martin, a lot the little islands. Antigua, you know, Bar - - Barbuda, you know, those islands there.